Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program product

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, an information processing device reserves power stations to charge a battery of an electric vehicle. The device includes: a reception section configured to receive first information, second information, and third information; a first search section configured to search for a recommended route to the destination; a second search section configured to search for the power stations; a first determination section configured to determine whether or not the battery needs to be charged; and a reservation section configured to reserve a power station without waiting for a command from a user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No.PCT/JP2018/030699, filed Aug. 20, 2018 and based upon and claiming thebenefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No.2017-205282, filed Oct. 24, 2017, the entire contents of all of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to an informationprocessing device, information processing method, and informationprocessing program.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, electric-powered vehicles are coming into widespreaduse. To further enhance the widespread use, power station environmentsfor charging the battery of electric vehicles need to be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an electric vehicle chargingreservation system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electric vehicle charging reservationsystem according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electric vehicle according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a smartphone according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a server according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a block diagram of the server according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 6B is a functional block diagram of the processor of the serveraccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the server according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method according tothe first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a route finding method according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12 are schematic diagrams of a screen of asmartphone or car navigation system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15, FIG. 16, and FIG. 17 are schematic diagramsof a screen of the smartphone according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the second embodiment.

FIG. 19A is a functional block diagram of a server according to thethird embodiment.

FIG. 19B is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the first example of the third embodiment.

FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 are schematic diagrams of a screen showing thereservation state of an electric vehicle according to the first exampleof the third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the second example of the third embodiment.

FIG. 23, FIG. 24, and FIG. 25 schematic diagrams of a screen showing thereservation state of an electric vehicle according to the second exampleof the third embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging reservationsystem according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of a smartphone according to the fourthembodiment.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a conceptual diagram of an electric vehicle chargingreservation system according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram of the electric vehicle charging reservationsystem according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a block diagram of a car navigation system according to thefifth embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 33, FIG. 34, FIG. 35, FIG. 36, FIG. 37, FIG. 38, FIG. 39, and FIG.40 are schematic diagrams of a screen of the car navigation systemaccording to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 41, FIG. 42, FIG. 43, FIG. 44, FIG. 45, FIG. 46, FIG. 47, FIG. 48,FIG. 49, FIG. 50 are schematic diagrams showing screens of thesmartphone and the car navigation system according to the fifthembodiment.

FIG. 51 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging reservationsystem according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 52 is a block diagram of a car navigation system according to thesixth embodiment.

FIG. 53 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 54 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging reservationsystem according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 55 is a block diagram of a car navigation system according to thesixth embodiment.

FIG. 56 is a flowchart of a power station reservation method accordingto the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 57 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle charging reservationsystem according to a modification example of the first to sixthembodiments.

FIG. 58 is a block diagram of an electric vehicle and a power stationaccording to a modification example of the first to sixth embodiments.

FIG. 59, FIG. 60, FIG. 61, FIG. 62, FIG. 63, FIG. 64, FIG. 65, and FIG.66 are schematic diagrams of a screen of the car navigation systemaccording to a modification example of the first to sixth embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, according to one embodiment, an information processingdevice is to reserve a power station to charge the battery of anelectric vehicle. The information processing device includes a receptionsection, a first search section, a second search section, a firstdetermination section, and a reservation section. The reception sectionreceives first information indicating a remaining battery charge of theelectric vehicle, second information relating to a destination, andthird information relating a route to the destination. The first searchsection searches for a recommended route to the destination based atleast on the second information and the third information. The secondsearch section searches for a power station located on the way to thedestination. The first determination section determines whether thebattery will need to be charged before arriving at the destination,based on the first information and the recommended route that has beenfound. When the first determination section determines that the batterywill need to be charged, the reservation section reserves a powerstation found by the second search section, without waiting for acommand from the user.

1. First Embodiment

An information processing device, information processing method, andinformation processing program according to a first embodiment will beexplained. This embodiment relates to a reservation system of a powerstation for an electric vehicle.

1.1 Structure 1.1.1 Overall Structure

FIG. 1 shows an example of the overall structure of the reservationsystem according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in thisdrawing, a reservation system 1 includes an electric vehicle 100, aportable information terminal 200, servers 300, 400, and 500. In thefollowing explanation, a smartphone 200 will be discussed by way ofexample of a portable information terminal. However, any portableinformation communication terminal may be adopted such as a cellularphone, tablet PC, or notebook PC. The smartphone 200 is configured tocommunicate with servers 300, 400, and 500 via a network 600, forexample over wireless communications.

The electric vehicle 100 is also provided with a wireless communicationfunction, and is configured to communicate with the servers 300, 400,and 500 via the network 600.

The servers 300, 400, and 500 perform various computations in responseto a request from the electric vehicle 100 and smartphone 200, andprovide the electric vehicle 100 and smartphone 200 with various typesof information.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the reservation system 1 illustrated inFIG. 1. As illustrated in this drawing, the smartphone 200 receivesvarious types of setting information from the user, and transmits thereceived information (user setting information) to the server 400. Thesmartphone 200 receives information related to recommended routes fromthe server 400.

The electric vehicle 100 transmits information related to a remainingbattery charge to the server 400 upon request from the server 400.

The server 300 holds traffic information. The server 300 transmits thetraffic information upon request from the server 400. The trafficinformation includes not only the current traffic information, but alsoany travel information including expected traffic congestioninformation, accident information, disaster-related road closureinformation, and such information is sent to the server 400.Furthermore, the traffic information is not limited to travelinformation, and may include road information that can affect theconsumption speed of a battery 110, such as mountain roads andexpressways.

The server 500 holds information concerning power stations for anelectric vehicle. Such information includes power station informationthat indicates positional information of power stations at multiplelocations, and reservation information that indicates the reservationstate of each power station. The server 500 transmits the power stationinformation and reservation information upon request of the server 400,and receives a reservation of a power station from the server 400. Whenreceiving a reservation, the server 500 updates the reservationinformation, and transmits reservation completion information to theserver 400. Due to the space limitation, a “power station” may beindicated as “power st”.

The server 400 manages the information of the electric vehicle 100. Inparticular, the server 400 computes a recommended route to the user'sdestination in accordance with the user setting information from thesmartphone 200, battery charge information from the electric vehicle100, traffic information from the server 300, and power stationinformation from the server 500, and transmits recommended routeinformation to the smartphone 200. Furthermore, the server 400 predictswhether the battery 110 will need to be charged on the recommendedroute, and if so, a temporary reservation and a finalized reservation ofa power station are requested with respect to the server 500.

The server 300 may be offered by a public organization, the server 500may be offered by a business entity that operates power stations, andthe server 400 may be offered by a business entity that operates thereservation system. The providers of the servers 300, 400, and 500 arenot limited thereto, and may be offered by any public or private entity.

Next, the electric vehicle 100, smartphone 200, and servers 300, 400,and 500 will be explained.

1.1.2 Structure of Electric Vehicle 100

The structure of the electric vehicle 100 is explained with reference toFIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electric vehicle 100 focusingon the portion that relates to the reservation system as an exemplarystructure. As illustrated in this drawing, the electric vehicle 100includes a battery 110, a battery monitor section 120, a controller 130,and a communication section 140.

The battery 110 is for powering the electric vehicle 100.

The battery monitor section (e.g., battery monitor circuit) 120 isconfigured to monitor the remaining charge of the battery 110. Theremaining battery charge may be monitored continuously or at regularintervals. The battery monitor section 120 may count the number ofcharging times of the battery 110, because the battery 110 deteriorateswith repeated charging. For this reason, the battery monitor section 120monitors not only the remaining battery charge but also thedeterioration degree of the battery 110, for example, by counting thenumber of charging times of the battery 110.

The communication section 140 may be a communication circuit that cantransmit and receive information with respect to the server 400 bywireless communication. For example, the communication section 140receives a remaining battery charge information request from the server400. Then, the communication section 140 transmits to the server 400 theremaining battery charge information received from the controller 130.The remaining battery charge information may include, in addition to theremaining battery charge of the battery 110, information relating to theabove-mentioned deterioration degree of the battery 110. By transmittingthe information relating to the deterioration degree, the server 400 canimprove accuracy in predicting the future consumption of the battery110.

The controller 130 controls the process of the reservation system forthe electric vehicle 100. The controller 130 contains a processor 131such as a CPU that includes a control circuit or is constituted by acontrol circuit (the same applies to processors 231, 331, 431, 531, and731 that will be discussed later), ROM 132, RAM 133, and input/outputcircuit 134. The ROM 132 stores programs to be implemented by theprocessor 131, and necessary data. The RAM 133 serves as a work area ofthe processor 131. The input/output circuit 134 controls thetransmission/reception of information to and from the communicationsection 140. The processor 131, which implements a program in the ROM132, implements the processing for the reservation system. For example,when receiving a request for remaining battery charge information by wayof the input/output circuit 134, the processor 131 requests thecurrently remaining charge information of the battery 110 from thebattery monitor section 120. In response, the battery monitor section120 transmits the remaining battery charge information to the processor131. Then, the processor 131 transmits the remaining battery chargeinformation to the communication section 140. The processor 131 maytransmit to the server 400 not only the currently remaining batterycharge but also the expected value for the remaining battery charge of,for example, several hours later or several days later in response to arequest from the server 400. Here, the processor 131 performscomputation using the present battery consumption and the previousconsumption rate of the battery, which are stored in the ROM 132 and RAM133. In the following description, the term “remaining battery chargeinformation” includes such information.

1.1.3 Structure of Smartphone 200

Next, the structure of the smartphone 200 is explained with reference toFIG. 4. In FIG. 4, a block diagram showing an exemplary structure of thesmartphone 200 is presented. As illustrated in this drawing, thesmartphone 200 includes a display section 210, a user input section 220,a controller 230, and a communication section 240.

The display section 210, which may be a liquid crystal display, presentsvarious types of information to the user.

The user input section 220 receives inputs of various types ofinformation and commands from the user (referred to as user settinginformation). For example, the display section 210 may be a touch-paneltype display device, in which the display section 210 and the user inputsection 220 may be integrated.

The communication section 240 transmits and receives information withrespect to the server 400 by wireless communication. For example, thecommunication section 240 transmits to the server 400 the user settinginformation received by the user input section 220, and receivesrecommended route information from the server 400.

The controller 230 controls the entire processing of the smartphone 200.The controller 230 includes a processor 231 such as a CPU, and also aROM 232, a RAM 233, and an input/output circuit 234. The ROM 232 storesprograms to be implemented by the processor 231, and necessary data. TheRAM 233 serves as a work area of the processor 231. The input/outputcircuit 234 controls the transmission/reception of information to andfrom the communication section 240. By implementing a program in the ROM232, the processor 231 realizes various functions of the smartphone 200including the processing for the reservation system. For example, theprocessor 231 may cause the RAM 233 to store the user settinginformation received by the user input section 220. Examples of the usersetting information include information relating to the date, time anddestination, or priority for driving the electric vehicle 100. Thepriority here denotes whether to use expressways and charging rules ofthe battery 110 when searching for a route to a destination. Chargingrules may be information indicative of a higher priority to be placed onthe minimum remaining charge allowed for the battery 110, an acceptabletime length for waiting at a power station, or the like.

1.1.4 Structure of Server 300

Next, the structure of the server 300 is explained with reference toFIG. 5. In FIG. 5, a block diagram showing an exemplary structure of theserver 300 is presented. As illustrated in this drawing, the server 300includes a controller 330 and a communication section 340.

The communication section 340 transmits and receives information to andfrom the server 400 by wireless communication. For example, thecommunication section 340 receives a traffic information request fromthe server 400. Then, the communication section 340 transmits thetraffic information received from the controller 330, to the server 400.

The controller 330 holds the traffic information in real time. Thecontroller 330 includes a processor 331 such as a CPU, and also a ROM332, a RAM 333, and an input/output circuit 334. The ROM 332 storesprograms to be implemented by the processor 331, and necessary data. TheRAM 333 serves as a work area of the processor 331, and stores trafficinformation 335. The traffic information 335 may include not only thecurrent state of traffic congestion but also traffic information of thepast. This allows for future traffic prediction. As mentioned above, the“traffic information” in this specification includes not only trafficcongestion-related information, but also various other trafficinformation such as accident information and current and future roadclosure information. The input/output circuit 334 controls informationtransmission/reception to and from the communication section 340. Byimplementing a program in the ROM 332, the processor 331 implements theprocessing for the reservation system. For example, when receiving arequest for traffic information 335 via the input/output circuit 334,the processor 331 reads the traffic information 335 from the RAM 333,and transmits it to the server 400 via the communication section 340.Furthermore, the processor 331 may be configured to estimate trafficcongestion corresponding to the current date and time, and transmit theobtained expected congestion information to the server 400.

1.1.5 Structure of Server 400

Next, the structure of the server 400 is explained with reference toFIG. 6A. In FIG. 6A, a block diagram showing an exemplary structure ofthe server 400 is presented. As illustrated in this drawing, the server400 includes a controller 430 and a communication section 440.

The communication section 440 transmits and receives information to andfrom the electric vehicle 100, smartphone 200, server 300, and server500 by wireless communication. With respect to the servers 300 and 500,wired communications may be performed. Alternatively, any two of, or allof, the servers 300, 400 and 500 may be realized by a single server. Thecommunication section 440 transmits a request for the remaining batterycharge information to the electric vehicle 100, transmits a request fortraffic information to the server 300, transmits a request for powerstation information, a request for reservation information, and areservation request, which will be described later, to the server 500,and transmits recommended route information to the smartphone 200.Furthermore, the communication section 440 receives remaining batterycharge information from the electric vehicle 100, user settinginformation from the smartphone 200, traffic information from the server300, and power station information, reservation information andreservation completion information from the server 500.

The controller 430 includes a processor 431 such as a CPU, and also aROM 432, a RAM 433, and an input/output circuit 434. The ROM 432 storesprograms to be implemented by the processor 431, and necessary data. TheRAM 433 serves as a work area of the processor 431, and stores the usersetting information 436, remaining battery charge information 437,traffic information 335, power station information 535, and reservationinformation 536 received by the communication section 440. In addition,the RAM 433 stores a route finding program 435 and map information 438.The input/output circuit 434 controls information transmission/receptionto and from the communication section 440. The processor 431 implementsthe route finding program 435 using the above information 436, 437, 438,335, 535 and 536, and thereby computes a recommended route that islikely to be the most suitable for the user. For example, the processor431 may acknowledge the departure place and destination place on the mapinformation 438, and compute a recommended route from among the routesthat connect the two places, based on the earliest arrival time takinginto account the traffic information 335, easiness of reserving a powerstation taking into account the remaining battery charge information437, power station information 535 and reservation information 536, andpreferences of the user as given by the user setting information 436.The recommended route information computed in this manner is transmittedto the smartphone 200. In addition, a power station reservation commandis issued to the server 500, as needed. The power station reservationaccording to the embodiment includes a temporary reservation and afinalized reservation. In this example, a temporary reservation is areservation that will be canceled unless it is finalized within acertain time frame and that can be made without the user's approval. Onthe other hand, a finalized reservation is a reservation that has beenconfirmed and that is valid unless it is canceled. A finalizedreservation is made upon the user's approval. The forms of reservationare not limited thereto, and all of the “reservations” listed below maybe finalized reservations. A temporary reservation may be designed suchthat it will be changed to a finalized reservation when the user doesnot confirm or negate finalization within a certain time frame. In thefollowing example, the terms are defined as:

-   -   A temporary reservation will be canceled unless finalized within        a time frame, and may be made without the user's approval. It        may be canceled upon a cancellation request.    -   A finalized reservation is a confirmed reservation, for which        cancellation requires a cancellation request. Finalization        requires the user's approval.

When a temporary reservation and finalized reservation do not need to bedistinguished from each other, they may be simply referred to as a“reservation”.

FIG. 6B is a functional block diagram of the processor 431 (or entirecontroller 430) when implementing a route finding program 435. Asillustrated in FIG. GB, the processor 431 implements a program 435,thereby functioning as a reception section 450, first search section451, second search section 452, first determination section 453,reservation section 454, and second determination section 455.

The reception section 450 receives, via the communication section 440,first information (remaining battery charge information 437) indicatingthe remaining charge of the battery 110 from the electric vehicle 100,second information (user setting information 436) relating to thedestination from the smartphone 200, and third information (trafficinformation 335) relating to routes to the destination. The receptionsection 450 may receive the power station information 535, reservationinformation 536, and reservation completion information from the server500.

The first search section 451 searches for a recommended route to thedestination based at least on the second information 436 and thirdinformation 335. The second search section 452 searches for powerstations on the way to the destination, which are available forreservation, based on the third information 335, power stationinformation 535 and reservation information 536.

The first determination section 453 determines whether or not thebattery 110 will need to be charged somewhere on the way to thedestination, based on the first information 437 and the recommendedroute found by the first search section 451. If the first determinationsection determines that the battery 110 will need to be charged, thereservation section 454 makes a temporary reservation for one of thepower stations that have been found by the second search section 452,without waiting for a command from the user.

The second determination section 455, the details of which will beprovided later in the second embodiment, is configured to determinewhether the electric vehicle 100 will be able to arrive at the powerstation as scheduled in the temporary reservation made by thereservation section 454, based at least on the third information 335.This determination does not have to be based only on the thirdinformation 335, but may be also based on the first information 437. Ifthe second determination section 455 determines that the arrival at thepower station as scheduled in the temporary reservation is not likely,the reservation section 454 cancels this reservation and makes anothertemporary reservation for the next recommended power station, withoutwaiting for a command from the user.

1.1.6 Structure of Server 500

Next, the structure of the server 500 is explained with reference toFIG. 7. In FIG. 7, a block diagram showing an exemplary structure of theserver 500 is presented. As illustrated in this drawing, the server 500includes a controller 530 and a communication section 540.

The communication section 540 transmits and receives information to andfrom the server 400 by wireless communication. For example, thecommunication section 540 receives from the server 400 a request forpower station information, a request for reservation information, and arequest for a temporary reservation or finalized reservation. Thecommunication section 540 transmits to the server 400 the power stationinformation, reservation information, and reservation completioninformation received from the controller 530.

The controller 530 holds power station-related information in real time.That is, the controller 530 includes a processor 531 such as a CPU, andalso a ROM 532, a RAM 533, and an input/output circuit 534. The ROM 532stores programs to be implemented by the processor 531, and necessarydata. The RAM 533 serves as a work area of the processor 531, and storesthe power station information 535 and reservation information 536. Thepower station information 535 includes information regarding thelocations of power stations, the number of vehicles that can be chargedat a time, and time required for charging. The reservation information536 includes the current reservation state of the power stations. Suchinformation may be received by the communication section 540 from thepower stations, and stored in the RAM 533. The input/output circuit 534controls information transmission/reception to and from thecommunication section 540. The processor 531 implements the programstored in the ROM 532, and thereby executes processing relating to thereservation system. For example, when receiving a request for powerstation information and reservation information via the input/outputcircuit 534, the processor 531 reads the power station information 535and reservation information 536 from the RAM 533, and transmits theinformation to the server 400 via the communication section 540.Furthermore, when receiving a temporary reservation request from theserver 400, the processor 531 determines whether or not reservation ispossible, by referring to the reservation information 536. Ifreservation is possible, the processor 531 enters a temporaryreservation, and transmits it as reservation completion information tothe server 400. This reservation information is transmitted to acorresponding power station by the communication section 540. Ifreservation is not possible, the information is transmitted to theserver 400 to inform accordingly. In this case, information indicatingavailable time slots may also be transmitted. The same processing isexecuted when receiving a finalized reservation request from the server400. A temporary reservation may be canceled by the processor 531 uponreceiving a command from the server 400, for example, if the user doesnot appear at the power station by the reservation time, or when thereis apparently no chance that the user will arrive on time.

1.2 Operations

Next, the operation of the reservation system 1 for an electric vehiclepower station according to the present embodiment is explained.

1.2.1 Overall Flow of Operations

The overall flow of the reservation system is explained with referenceto FIG. 8. The flowchart of FIG. 8 shows the operations of thesmartphone 200, the server 400 (including the operations of the servers300 and 500) and the electric vehicle 100 for reserving a power stationwhen the user rides the electric vehicle 100, or when the userdetermines that he/she is going to ride the electric vehicle 100 (i.e.,the riding may be, for example, a day after the determining). Thefollowing processing of the server 400 is realized mainly by thecontroller 430 when the processor 431 implements the program 435.

As illustrated in this drawing, the smartphone 200 first receives theuser setting information from the user (step S10). That is, thesmartphone 200 receives from the user a date and time entry, itinerary(destination and stopovers) entry, and priority setting. As mentionedabove, an exemplary priority order may include information as to whetherto use toll roads such as expressways, and also information of chargingpolicies in route finding. For example, the following information may beincluded:

-   -   The remaining charge of the battery 110 should be no less than        20%.    -   In the case that the power station in the vicinity of the route        is busy, even a power station located farther away, involving a        detour, should be reserved to arrive at the destination earlier.    -   Alternatively, a nearby power station, even if there may be a        considerable waiting time, should be selected to reduce the        charge consumption.

The smartphone 200 transmits this information 436 to the server 400, andthe server 400 holds the received information 436 in the RAM 433. Theserver 400 (first search section 451) then starts finding a route (stepS11). That is, using the GPS equipment of the electric vehicle 100 orsmartphone 200 or according to the information input by the user, theserver 400 acquires the current location of the user (electric vehicle100), and also acquires the remaining battery charge information 437from the electric vehicle 100 (steps S12 and S13). Thereafter, theserver 400 acquires the traffic information 335 from the server 300(step S14), and further acquires the power station information 535 andreservation information 536 from the server 500 (step S15).

The server 400 (first determination section 453) determines whethercharging is required (step S16). For this determination, the processor431 uses the information acquired at steps S11 to S14. That is, adetermination may be made based on whether the user can reach thedestination with the currently remaining battery charge in considerationof the distance to the destination and the traffic condition, or whetherthe charging will be needed even if the user can reach the destination,in consideration of the user's charging policy. Thereafter, theprocessor 431 determines a recommended route to the destination, basedon the result obtained at step S16 (step S17). If it is determined atstep S16 that the charging will be needed, the processor 431 searchesfor power stations on the route determined at step S17 (second searchsection 452), and requests a temporary reservation for the mostrecommended one of the found power stations from the server 500(reservation section 454, step S18). Here, the processor 431 (secondsearch section 452) determines a recommended power station based on thepower station information 535 and reservation information 536 receivedfrom the server 500. That is, if the currently remaining battery chargeis extremely low, a temporary reservation will be made for a nearbypower station even if the reservation information 536 indicates a longwaiting time. On the other hand, if enough battery charge remains, atemporary reservation may be made for a power station that requires ashorter waiting time or a shorter charging time, even if the powerstation is located farther away from the current location.Alternatively, a temporary reservation may be made for a power stationwhich will increase the traveling distance but will be the least busy,thereby enabling the earliest arrival at the destination. Thereafter,the server 400 transmits the recommended route information to thesmartphone 200.

The smartphone 200 displays the received recommended route on thedisplay section 210 (step S19). Here, the display section 210 displaysthe information regarding the temporarily reserved power station. Whenreceiving an approval or denial of the temporary reservation of thispower station, which has been made by the server 400, through the userinput section 220 from the user (step S20), the smartphone 200 sends itto the server 400. If not approved (no at step S20), the processor 431of the server 400 repeats the operations of steps S16 to S18. That is,the server 400 computes the next recommended route, and makes atemporary reservation for a power station, as needed.

After repeating the operations of steps S16 to S18, however, the routethat has been rejected by the user may be found again. Thus, theprocessor 431 of the server 400 may be configured to attach a flag tothe route rejected by the user so that the once-rejected route will notbe re-suggested. In addition, or alternatively, the processor 431 of theserver 400 may provide the priority order to the routes rejected by theuser and the newly found routes. This priority order is the order ofrecommendations from the server 400 to the user. When providing thepriority order, the operations of steps S16 to S18 may be repeated forseveral times in the flowchart of FIG. 8, and thereby a plurality ofroutes may be presented to the user at step S19, together with thepriority order.

If there is a time lag between step S10 and the user's approval (stepS20), or more specifically, if no approval is received within athreshold time period after the presentation of a recommended route, theserver 400 executes the operations of steps S12 and S14, and furtherexecutes the operations of steps S16 to S18 to update the recommendedroutes.

When approved (step S20), the processor 431 enters the determinedrecommended route and power station information to the user settinginformation received at step S10 (step S21). Furthermore, the processor431 of the server 400 (reservation section 454) changes the temporaryreservation made at step S18 to a finalized reservation in the server500 (step S22). The information relating to the temporary reservationand finalized reservation may be entered to the reservation information536 in the server 500. When this finalized reservation is completed, theserver 400 transmits the determined route information to the smartphone200, and the smartphone 200 displays the received determined route onthe display section 210 (step S23).

FIG. 9 shows the basic concept of the route finding on the server 400,and is a flowchart of the processing, in particular, in accordance withwhether or not the battery 110 needs to be charged. The processing ofFIG. 9 may be implemented by the first search section 451, second searchsection 452, and first determination section 453 of FIG. 6B.

As illustrated in this drawing, if a destination is set in the usersetting information (yes at step S30), and if the processor 431determines that the battery 110 needs to be charged (yes at step S31),the processor 431 searches for a route to the destination via a powerstation (step S32). If this is the case, a temporary reservation of thepower station is made (reservation section 454), as discussed above. Incontrast, if it is determined at step S31 that the battery 110 does notneed to be charged (no at step S31), the processor 431 searches for aroute to the destination, without considering as to whether or not to govia a power station (step S33).

The determination of the need for charging at steps S31 and S34 may bemade by the user, instead of by the processor 431. In particular, thesmartphone 200 may receive the need for charging from the user, andtransmit this information to the server 400. In accordance with thereceived information, the server 400 may implement the operation at stepS32, S33, S35, or S36.

If no destination is set at step S30 (no at step S30), and if it isdetermined that the battery 110 needs to be charged (yes at step S34),the processor 431 searches for a route to the most recommended powerstation (step S35). If this is the case, a temporary reservation is madefor the power station. The most recommended power station may be thepower station closest to the current location, or the power station thatis not a nearby station but requires a shorter waiting time. If nodestination is set (no at step S30), and if the battery 110 does notneed to be charged (no at step S34), the processor 431 does not performroute finding (step S36).

1.2.2 Exemplary Operations

Now, exemplary operations for the processing of FIG. 8 are explained.FIG. 10 shows an exemplary display screen of the instrumental panel ofthe electric vehicle (or display screen (home screen) of a carnavigation system). The screen of FIG. 10 may be displayed on thedisplay section 210 of the smartphone 200 if the smartphone 200 canreceive the battery charge information 437. As illustrated in thisdrawing, the present charge level of the battery 110 is displayed on thedisplay screen. In the example of FIG. 10, the charge level of thebattery 110 is 34%, which means that the remaining charge is onlyapproximately one third of the fully charged state.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show exemplary display screens of the display section210 of the smartphone 200, presenting the state at step S10 in FIG. 8.The displays of FIGS. 11 and 12 are presented when activating anapplication of the reservation system 1, which will be explained in thisexample. The application of the reservation system is realized, forexample, when the processor 231 implements a program stored in the RAM133.

When the application is implemented, the display section 210 displays acalendar as illustrated in FIG. 11, and the date of ride on the electricvehicle 100 is received from the user. FIG. 12 shows an exemplary screenfor entering an outward route. In the example of FIG. 12, a departuretime and destination can be set. When such information is input, theinformation is transmitted to the server 400 as user setting information436.

A certain electric vehicle 100 or multiple electric vehicles 100 areregistered in advance by users on the application downloaded on thesmartphone 200. The dates of ride and schedule of charging timings maybe shared by multiple application users. This exemplary case will beexplained in the third embodiment.

FIG. 13 shows an exemplary display of the display section 210 of thesmartphone 200, on which a recommended route is indicated as explainedat step S19 in FIG. 8. In the example of FIG. 13, the departure place isset to Kawasaki, and the destination is set to Kamakura. The heavy linein this drawing indicates the recommended route. The server 400 furtherrecommends the power station (Station A) closest to Kawasaki, and makesa temporary reservation for 16:55, without waiting for the user'sapproval. This temporary reservation is made by the server 400 in theprocess of computing the recommended route. At this point, thereservation is made temporarily, and therefore the smartphone 200prompts the user to enter as to whether the reservation can befinalized.

If the user desires a power station other than Station A, the user mayselect an icon “Show more” on the display section 210, as illustrated inFIG. 14. When this icon is selected, the smartphone 200 displays otherrecommended routes computed by the server 400, as illustrated in FIG.15. As illustrated in this drawing, the second recommended routeincludes a power station (Station B) that is located farther away thanStation A. In FIG. 15, a temporary reservation is not made for StationB. The server 400 may make a temporary reservation of Station B at thispoint. If the icon “Show more” for Station B is selected as illustratedin FIG. 15, available reservation time slots are displayed. Thisinformation is displayed based on the reservation information 536regarding Station B, which is received by the server 400 from the server500. It is assumed here that, of these time slots, a selected time slotof 18:50 is received from the user. Then, the smartphone 200 transmitsthis information to the server 400, and, a temporary reservation is madeon the server 500, as needed. Thereafter, the smartphone 200 prompts theuser to enter as to whether the reservation can be finalized. In theexample of FIG. 16, when the icon “YES” is selected, the server 400finalizes the reservation in the server 500, regarding Station B at18:50.

FIG. 17 shows a case where the user selects the third recommended route.In the third recommended route, no charging is carried out at any powerstation. Thus, in this case, no reservation is made for any powerstation.

As discussed above, the server 400 presents multiple recommended routesin the recommended order based on the user setting information and thelike, makes a temporary reservation of a power station, and finalizesthe reservation based on the selected recommended route.

1.3 Effects of Present Embodiment

According to the present embodiment, efficiency in making a reservationfor charging an electric vehicle can be enhanced. This effect isexplained below.

Recently, the prevalence of electric vehicles has rapidly increased. Toincrease their popularity, user concerns over batteries need to beminimized. Meanwhile, in parallel with improvements in the accuracy oftraffic congestion prediction has been improvements of the accuracy ofexpected time of arrival at the destination in car navigations systems.

According to the present embodiment, the server 400, which is configuredto search for a route based on traffic prediction and the like, isfurther configured to voluntarily make a temporary reservation for arecommended power station on the found route, based on the remainingcharge of the battery 110 (remaining battery charge information 437),information of power stations (power station information 535,reservation information 536), and user's preferences (user settinginformation 436), without waiting for the user's request. If the useraccepts the suggestion made by the server 400, the server 400 finalizesthe reservation of the power station.

With such a structure, the server 400 suggests a route to the user,where a power station on this route is temporarily reserved for theoptimal charging timing so that the vehicle would not run out ofbattery. As a result, the user's concern about a dead battery can beminimized, and the user's inconvenience of having to search for a powerstation in consideration of a possible dead battery and making areservation for the power station can be resolved, while the efficiencyin making a reservation of a power station can be improved.

2. Second Embodiment

An information processing device, information processing method, andinformation processing program according to the second embodiment arenow explained. The present embodiment relates to the processing executedwhen it is found that the vehicle will not be able to reach the powerstation by the reservation time after the reservation of the powerstation is finalized in the first embodiment. The following explanationwill focus only on the points that differ from the first embodiment.

2.1 Operations

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the operations of the smartphone 200, server400 (including the operations of the servers 300 and 500), and electricvehicle 100 for reserving a power station during the driving of theelectric vehicle 100. The following processing of the server 400 isrealized mainly by the controller 430 when the processor 431 implementsthe program 435, as explained with reference to FIG. 8.

As illustrated in this drawing, the server 400 acquires the trafficinformation 335 from the server 300 at regular intervals (step S90). Atraffic congestion heavier than expected, or a road closure related to atraffic accident, may be found from the acquired traffic information335. Then, the server 400 (second determination section 455) immediatelyacquires the currently remaining battery charge information 437 from theelectric vehicle 100 (step S91), and determines whether or not thevehicle can arrive at the power station by the reservation time bytaking the current recommended route approved by the user (step S92).

If a late arrival is not determined (no at step S92), the server 400maintains the finalized reservation (or a reservation that is still atemporary reservation) of the power station as originally made, withoutmaking any particular change of the recommended route. In contrast, ifit is determined that the vehicle will be late (yes at step S92), theserver 400 (reservation section 454) cancels the finalized reservation(or temporary reservation) of the power station (step S93). That is, theserver 400 transmits a request for canceling the reservation of thepower station to the server 500. In accordance with this request, theserver 500 cancels the reservation in the reservation information 536.

Thereafter, the server 400 searches for a new route in the same manneras the first embodiment, based on the traffic information 335 acquiredat step S90 (step S11), and temporarily reserves the recommended powerstation on the acquired route (step S15). The operations at steps S16 toS23 are performed as explained in the first embodiment.

2.2 Effects of Present Embodiment

According to the present embodiment, in the case of unexpectedly heavytraffic or an accident, the server 400 determines whether the currentlyrecommended route causes any problem, and if so, cancels the reservationof the power station. Furthermore, the server 400 finds a new route,makes a new temporary reservation for the optimal new power station asneeded, and presents it to the user.

Thus, even if an unanticipated situation occurs, the user's concern overa dead battery of the electric vehicle 100 can be mitigated.Furthermore, by computing the optimal route that would not exhaust thebattery and making a reservation for a power station, driving stabilityof the electric vehicle 100 can be improved.

The above processing applies to the situations of being influenced bythe weather conditions (windy, rainy, or snowy) and the electric vehicle100 (the number of passengers and weight of load). That is, theseelements can affect the consumption of the battery 110. For this reason,the server 400 may determine whether the currently recommended routewould cause any problem by taking into consideration these elements inaddition to the traffic condition and accidents.

If the reservation is to be changed, the fifth embodiment should bereferred to, where an example is discussed.

3. Third Embodiment

An information processing device, information processing method, andinformation processing program according to the third embodiment are nowexplained. The present embodiment relates to the first and secondembodiments in which the scheduled date of riding the electric vehicle100 is entered to the server 400 in advance so that the server 400 canvoluntarily make a reservation of a power station in accordance with theentry condition, without receiving a request from the user. Thefollowing explanation will focus only on the points that differ from thefirst and second embodiments.

3.1 Structure

The structure of the server 400 according to the present embodiment isthe same as FIG. 6A discussed in the first embodiment. The RAM 433 mayfurther include, for example, a scheduling program (which may be part ofthe route finding program 435). When this scheduling program isimplemented, the server 400 executes the functions as discussed below.

FIG. 19A is a functional block diagram of the processor 431 (or theentire controller 430) when executing the scheduling program. Asillustrated in FIG. 19A, the processor 431 executes the schedulingprogram so as to function as an entry section 460, a third determinationsection 461, a reservation section 454, a first search section 451, anda second search section 452.

The entry section 460 manages the ride reservations of the electricvehicle 100. That is, the entry section 460 creates a ride scheduledatabase. The created database may be held in the RAM 433. Whenreceiving an input of the first ride reservation from the user, theentry section 460 enters the first information of the first ridereservation, which indicates the first ride scheduled duration, and thesecond information 437 indicating the remaining charge of the battery110 at the time of entering the vehicle. The second information 437 issupplied from the electric vehicle 100. The third determination section461 determines whether or not the battery 110 will need to be chargedwithin the first ride scheduled duration, based on the secondinformation 437. This determination may be made, for example, bycomputing the consumption of the battery expected during the first ridescheduled duration, and comparing this consumption with the secondinformation 437. When the third determination section 461 determinesthat the battery 110 will need to be charged, the reservation section454 temporarily reserves (and may finalize the reservation of) a powerstation, without waiting for the user's command. The reservation section454 may refer to the power station information 535 and reservationinformation 536 when making a temporary reservation of a power station.

When the entry section 460 enters third information (e.g., user settinginformation 436) regarding the destination of the first ridereservation, the first search section 451 searches for a recommendedroute to the destination, and the second search section 452 searches forany power station on the way to the destination, as explained withreference to FIG. 6A. When the third determination section 461determines that the battery 110 will need to be charged when travelingon the recommended route, the reservation section 454 temporarilyreserves (and may finalize the reservation of) a power station found bythe second search section 452, without waiting for the user's command.

3.2 Operations

In the following explanation, two examples, where a destination isentered and where a destination is not entered, will be dealt with.

EXAMPLE 1

In the first example, a destination is not entered. FIG. 19B is aflowchart of the reservation system according to the present embodiment,showing the first example of the method for entering the date of anupcoming ride and reserving a power station. The following processing ofthe server 400 is realized mainly by the controller 430 when theprocessor 431 implements the scheduling program. The user rides theelectric vehicle 100 as explained in the first and second embodiments,after the entry is completed according to the present embodiment.

As illustrated in this drawing, the smartphone 200 activates theapplication of the reservation system explained in the first embodiment.The smartphone 200 receives an input of the time and date of ride fromthe user (step S40).

The server 400 (entry section 460) creates a ride schedule database inthe RAM 433, and enters the time and date of ride into this database(step S41). Here, the server 400 receives the currently remainingbattery charge information from the electric vehicle 100 so that theprocessor 431 can compute the battery consumption during the user's ridethat has been entered, and enters the remaining battery charge into thedatabase (step S42). If the processor 431 (third determination section461) determines that the battery 110 will need to be charged, theprocessor 431 temporarily reserves a power station (e.g., the powerstation closest to home) (reservation section 454, step S44). Then, theprocessor 431 (third determination section 461 and entry section 460)computes the remaining battery charge, assuming that the battery 110 ischarged at the power station temporarily reserved at step S44, andenters the result into the database (step S45).

The above situation is indicated in FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a conceptualdiagram of the ride schedule database. By the server 400 transmittingthe database information to the smartphone 200, the user is enabled tobrowse the display on the display section 210 of the smartphone 200 asshown in FIG. 20.

In the example of FIG. 20, the driving is scheduled on Wednesday, May 24from 7:30 to 10:30, and from 18:00 to 21:00. At 7:30 in the first rideof May 24, the remaining battery charge indicates 54%. The processor 431may predict the remaining battery charge at the ride end time of 10:30,for the case of charging the battery 110 and for the case of notcharging, based on the information such as the remaining battery charge,ride scheduled duration, and average battery consumption. As a result,the processor may determine that the remaining battery charge will fallshort of the threshold value set by the user, and may temporarilyreserve a power station in the vicinity of the departure place (e.g.,home), at 9:00. The reservation of the power station is marked with astar. Assuming that the battery 110 is charged approximately up to 100%at the power station, the processor 431 computes the remaining batterycharge for the later times. In the example of FIG. 20, the remainingbattery charge at the time of finishing the first ride of May 24 is 86%,and the remaining battery charge at the time of finishing the secondride is still sufficient at 61%. Thus, no further battery charging willbe needed for this day.

The explanation returns to FIG. 19B. The date of the ride is entered atstep S41, and a new power station is temporarily reserved at step S44.In this situation, there may be a temporary reservation that has beenmade but is no longer needed. If this is the case (yes at step S46), theprocessor 431 (third determination section 461) notifies the server 500of the cancellation of this temporary reservation (step S47). This isillustrated in FIG. 21. In a manner similar to FIG. 20, FIG. 21 is aconceptual diagram of the ride schedule database.

As illustrated in this drawing, after the ride schedule for May 24 asshown in FIG. 20 is entered with a power station temporarily reserved,ride schedules are entered for Tuesday, May 23, from 12:30 to 13:30, andfrom 15:30 to 16:30. In addition, a power station in the user'sneighborhood after the second ride of May 23 (e.g., when returning home)is temporarily reserved. Unlike the case of FIG. 20, the remainingbattery charge at the first ride start time of May 24 will indicate 96%,which means that the battery 110 will not need to be charged on May 24.The processor 431 therefore cancels the temporary reservation of thepower station for May 24.

In the above explanation, the reservations made by the reservationsection 454 are temporary reservations. Any of the reservations may befinalized. That is, after automatically making a temporary reservationof a power station, the smartphone 200 may prompt the user to approvethe finalization of the reservation. When receiving an approval from theuser, the temporary reservation is switched to a finalized reservation.Thus, if the processing of step S47 is executed after switching to afinalized reservation, the reservation to be canceled is a finalizedreservation, while if it is before switching to a finalized reservation,the reservation to be canceled is a temporary reservation. The timing ofreceiving the user's approval for the finalization of the reservationmay be before the ride of the electric vehicle 100, or during the ride.The reservation section 454 may make a finalized reservation instead ofa temporary reservation at step S44.

EXAMPLE 2

In the second example, the destination is entered together with the timeand date of the ride. FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the reservation system,which corresponds to FIG. 19B in the first example.

As illustrated in this drawing, the smartphone 200 activates theapplication of the reservation system as explained in the firstembodiment. The smartphone 200 receives the user's input of the time anddate of a ride (step S50). Thereafter, the smartphone 200 receives theuser's input of a destination (step S51).

Then, the server 400 (entry section 460) creates a ride scheduledatabase in the RAM 433, and enters the time and date of the ride intothis database (step S52). Furthermore, the processor 431 of the server400 (first search section 451) searches for a route to the destination(step S53), and further searches for power stations on the found route(second search section 452, step S54). The remaining battery charge iscomputed for the case of charging the battery 110 at these powerstations and for the case of not charging (step S55), and a recommendedreservation of a power station is entered to the database (step S56). Atthis timing, the processor 431 may make a temporary reservation orfinalized reservation for the recommended power station.

The above process is indicated in FIG. 23. In FIG. 23, a conceptualdiagram of a ride schedule database is presented, which corresponds toFIGS. 20 and 21 of the first example. The user can browse the display ofFIG. 23 on the display section 210 of the smartphone 200.

In the example of FIG. 23, ride events are entered for the followingdays of the week:

-   -   Monday: 12:00 to 19:00    -   Tuesday: 7:30 to 24:00    -   Wednesday: 15:00 to 22:00    -   Thursday: 12:00 to 19:00

The processor 431 searches for routes for these four ride events, andpower stations in the vicinity of the routes are marked with stars.Bigger stars indicate power stations located closer to the routerequiring shorter detours. The white star indicates the power stationrecommended by the processor 431. In the example of FIG. 23, it isrecommended that the power station be reserved on Monday at 14:00. Thereservation section 454 may temporarily reserve the recommended powerstation at this point.

The processor 431 further displays on the database the estimated time ofarrival at the destination and estimated remaining battery charge at thetime of arrival with regard to the upcoming ride event (i.e., Mondayaccording to FIG. 23). In the example of FIG. 23, the estimated time ofarrival for Monday is 19:00, at which the estimated remaining batterycharge is α % if no charging of the battery 110 is performed. On theother hand, with the battery charged at point A (the power stationrecommended at 14:00), the estimated remaining battery charge is D96,and with the battery charged at point B (the power station at a locationexpected to pass at 18:00), the estimated remaining battery charge is γ%.

The explanation returns to FIG. 22. When the smartphone 200 receives aselection for a reservation from the user referring to the database ofFIG. 23 (step S57), the processor 431 of the server 400 (reservationsection 454) finalizes the reservation of the power station selected bythe user (step S58). The remaining battery charge is re-computed basedon this finalized reservation, as needed (step S59), and the nextrecommended reservation is displayed on the database (thirddetermination section 461, entry section 460, step S60). This process isillustrated in FIG. 24. In a manner similar to FIG. 23, FIG. 24 is aconceptual diagram of a ride schedule database.

As illustrated in this drawing, after the user selects the recommendedreservation of Monday, 14:00, in FIG. 23, the processor 431 sends arequest for finalizing the reservation to the server 500. In the exampleof FIG. 24, a circled white star indicates the power station for whichthe reservation is finalized. The processor 431 computes the nextrecommended reservation and enters it to the database. In the example ofFIG. 24, a reservation of a power station on Friday at 14:00 isrecommended.

In the above explanation, the reservation made by the reservationsection 454 at step S58 is a finalized reservation, because the user'sapproval has been received at step S57. The reservation section 454 maybe configured to temporarily reserve the recommended power station atstep S56, and switch the temporary reservation to a finalizedreservation at step S57 when receiving an approval. Alternatively, thereservation section 454 may be configured to make a temporaryreservation at step S58, and switch the temporary reservation to afinalized reservation when receiving an approval from the user. This isbecause the ride date entry may be made before the actual ride accordingto the present embodiment. Especially, if the embodiment is applied to acar sharing system or the like, it is expected that a ride date entrymay be made several days or weeks before the ride. For such a case, areservation may be made only temporarily at the time of entry, and aninput of finalization from the user can wait until the day of actualride or several days before the ride. In the same manner as in the firstexample, the timing of receiving the user's approval of the finalizationof the reservation may be before the ride of the electric vehicle 100,or during the journey.

3.3 Effects of Present Embodiment

According to the present embodiment, a ride schedule is entered to thedatabase, and the server 400 provides recommended power stations inaccordance with the ride schedule. This can mitigate the inconveniencefor users in reserving power stations. In addition, the optimal chargingtiming can be determined based on the ride schedule of several days, andtherefore an efficient charging schedule can be set up.

In the above example, the user frequently rides the electric vehicle100. In the case of the user using the vehicle only on weekends or notriding for a long duration of time, it is preferable that self-dischargeof the battery be taken into consideration. That is, if the durationbetween a ride event and the next ride event exceeds a certain thresholdlength, the electric vehicle 100 may be started at any timing to re-sendthe remaining battery charge information to the server 400 so that theoperations of steps S56 to S60 may be re-executed.

In the examples of FIGS. 23 and 24, the charging on Monday at 14:00 isrecommended. The examples of FIGS. 23 and 24, however, include longhours of driving on Tuesday. To maintain the battery charge at a safelevel, it may be better to charge on Tuesday instead of Monday. If thisis the case, as illustrated in FIG. 25, a power station located onTuesday's long-distance journey may be recommended instead of Monday's.If the user does not approve the recommendation of FIG. 23, therecommendation of FIG. 25 may be presented. Alternatively, based onpriority order information in the user setting information 436, therecommendation of FIG. 25 may be presented instead of the recommendationof FIG. 23.

4. Fourth Embodiment

An information processing device, information processing method, andinformation processing program according to the fourth embodiment arenow explained. According to the present embodiment, the server 400 isomitted from the first to third embodiments, and the smartphone 200 isprovided with the functions of the server 400. The following explanationwill focus only on the points that differ from the first to thirdembodiments.

4.1 Structure

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of the reservation system 1 according to thepresent embodiment, which corresponds to FIG. 2 discussed in the firstembodiment.

As illustrated in the drawing, this example differs from FIG. 2 of thefirst embodiment in that the operations executed by the server 400 inthe first embodiment are executed by the smartphone 200. Theseoperations are:

-   -   Acquiring traffic information from the server 300    -   Acquiring power station information, reservation information,        and reservation completion information from the server 500    -   Reserving a power station    -   Acquiring remaining battery charge information from the electric        vehicle 100    -   Computing recommended route

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of the smartphone 200 according to thepresent embodiment. In the structure of this example, as illustrated inthe drawing, the RAM 233 stores various data and the route findingprogram 435, which are stored in the RAM 433 of the server 400 in FIG.6A, so that the functions of the server 400 in FIG. 4 of the firstembodiment can be realized. This program 435 and map information 438 maybe downloaded from the server 300 or 500 onto the smartphone 200 by wayof wireless communication line or wired communication line, or may bedownloaded from other servers (e.g., the server of the business entitythat operates the reservation system as explained in the firstembodiment). Naturally, the program 435 may already be stored in the RAM233 at the time of sale of the smartphone 200 to the user.

With the processor 231 executing the program 435, the processor 231 (orthe entire controller 230) functions as the reception section 450, firstsearch section 451, second search section 452, first determinationsection 453, reservation section 454, and second determination section455, as explained with reference to FIG. 6B in the first embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 27, the smartphone 200 sends a request for theinformation of the remaining charge of the battery 110 to the electricvehicle 100, a request for traffic information to the server 300, and arequest for power station information and reservation information to theserver 500. Then, the smartphone 200 receives the remaining batterycharge information from the electric vehicle 100, the trafficinformation from the server 300, and the power station information,reservation information and reservation completion information from theserver 500, and stores all the information in the RAM 233.

4.2 Operations

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of the operations of the reservation system forelectric vehicle power stations according to the present embodiment,which corresponds to FIG. 8 of the first embodiment.

As illustrated in this drawing, the present embodiment differs from FIG.8 of the first embodiment in that all of steps S10 to S13 and S14 to S23are executed by the smartphone 200. Naturally, various determinations,computations and command issuance at these steps are mainly performed bythe processor 231 of the smartphone 200. The determination of FIG. 9 isperformed in the same manner.

The operations explained in the second and third embodiments areexecuted in the same manner. The operations executed by the server 400in FIGS. 18, 19B, and 22 are executed by the smartphone 200, althoughits illustration is omitted.

4.3 Effects of Present Embodiment

According to the present embodiment, the server 400 is not required sothat the cost of the reservation system 1 can be reduced. Furthermore,the user does not need to access the server each time of processing, butthe processing can be completed on the user's smartphone 200. Thus, thecommunication amount of the smartphone 200 can be reduced, and theusability of the reservation system 1 can be enhanced.

In the example of the present embodiment, the processing of the firstembodiment is mainly executed by the smartphone 200. The same applies tothe processing of the second embodiment. That is, the smartphone 200downloads the scheduling program explained in the second embodiment froma server. When the processor 231 of the smartphone 200 implements thescheduling program, the processor 231 (or the entire controller 230)functions as illustrated in FIG. 19A of the second embodiment. In thiscase, the operations of steps S40 to S47 in FIG. 19B are executed by thesmartphone 200, and the operations of reserving and canceling powerstations are executed from the smartphone 200 directly on the server500.

5. Fifth Embodiment

An information processing device, information processing method, andinformation processing program according to the fifth embodiment are nowexplained.

According to the present embodiment, the structures of the first tothird embodiments further include a car navigation system so that thecar navigation system is provided with part of the function of thedisplay section 210 of the smartphone 200. The following explanationwill focus only on the points that differ from the first to thirdembodiments.

5.1 Structure

FIG. 29 shows an exemplary structure of the reservation system 1according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in this drawing, thereservation system 1 of this example is, in addition to the structure ofFIG. 1 as explained in the first embodiment, further provided with a carnavigation system 700 in the electric vehicle 100.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram of the reservation system 1 in FIG. 29. Asillustrated in this drawing, in the reservation system 1 of thisexample, the smartphone 200 as in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment sendsfixed route information to the car navigation system 700 so that the carnavigation system 700 can display the fixed route information thereon.

FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing an exemplary structure of the carnavigation system 700. As illustrated in this drawing, the carnavigation system 700 includes a display section 710, user input section720, controller 730, and communication section 740.

The display section 710, which may be a liquid crystal display, presentsto the user various types of information such as route navigation.

The user input section 720 receives inputs of commands from the user inrelation to various functions of the car navigation system. For example,the display section 710 may be a touch-panel display device, and thedisplay section 710 and user input section 720 may be formed as onebody.

The communication section 740 transmits and receives information to andfrom the smartphone 200 by wireless communication. The communicationsection 740 may receive fixed route information from the smartphone 200.

The controller 730 controls the entire processing of the car navigationsystem 700. The controller 730 includes a processor 731 such as a CPU, aROM 732, a RAM 733, and an input/output circuit 734. The ROM 732 storesprograms to be implemented by the processor 731, and necessary data. TheRAM 733 serves as a work area of the processor 731. The input/outputcircuit 734 controls information transmission/reception to and from thecommunication section 740. The processor 731 may implement the programstored in the ROM 732, and thereby performs route navigation. That is,the processor 731 displays a fixed route on the display section 710based on the fixed route information received by the communicationsection 740, and further performs route navigation by locating theelectric vehicle 100 based on the GPS information that is not shown.

5.2 Operations

Next, the operation of the reservation system 1 of an electric vehiclepower station according to the present embodiment is explained. FIG. 32is a flowchart of the operations of the smartphone 200, server 400(including the operations of the servers 300 and 500), car navigationsystem 700, and electric vehicle 100 for reserving a power station afterthe user enters the electric vehicle 100, or when the ride of theelectric vehicle 100 is determined (the actual ride may be, for example,on a later day). This structure corresponds to FIG. 8 of the firstembodiment.

As illustrated in the drawing, the operation of the reservation system 1according to the present embodiment differs from FIG. 8 of the firstembodiment only in that the fixed route is displayed on the displaysection 710 of the car navigation system 700. The fixed route may bedisplayed on the display section 710 of the car navigation system 700and not on the display section 210 of the smartphone 200, or may bedisplayed on both display sections. Even when the fixed route isdisplayed on both the car navigation system 700 and the smartphone 200,the content displayed may differ. For example, the smartphone 200 maydisplay a wide-range map covering the departure place to the destinationas well as one or more recommended power stations, while the carnavigation system 700 may display a small-range map of the currentjourney area in a three-dimensional manner to suit the primary purposeof navigating a driver.

In general, the display section 710 of the car navigation system 700 hasa larger display area than the display section 210 of the smartphone200. For this reason, part of the function of the smartphone 200, suchas displaying power station-related information, prompting the user toinput information, and receiving part of inputs from the user may berealized by the car navigation system 700 instead. When displayinginformation, necessary data may be received from the smartphone 200 orserver 400. When receiving inputs from the user, the received contentsmay be transmitted to the smartphone 200 or server 400.

Next, two exemplary cases are presented, in which the display screenchanges at the time of operations.

EXAMPLE 1

The first example is explained, with reference to FIGS. 33 to 40. InFIGS. 33 to 40, schematic diagrams of the display screen of the displaysection 710 of the car navigation system 700 are presented. In thisexample, the majority of the operations of displaying information andreceiving inputs from the user are performed by the car navigationsystem 700, based on the data from the smartphone 200 or server 400. Inother words, the user input section 720 of the car navigation system 700as explained with reference to FIG. 31 includes at least part of thefunction of the user input section 220 of the smartphone 200 asexplained with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 33 shows a display screen of the display section 710 of the carnavigation system 700 displayed before the start of the navigation. Inthe same manner as FIG. 10 in the first embodiment, the remaining chargelevel of the battery 110 is displayed (54% in FIG. 33). This examplediffers from the first embodiment in an icon “Schedule” displayed on thedisplay section 710. When this “Schedule” icon is selected, the routenavigation is initiated, and the reservation system 1 as explained inthe first to third embodiments is implemented.

FIG. 34 shows a display screen when the selection of the “Schedule” iconin FIG. 33 is received from the user. As illustrated in this drawing, inthe same manner as FIG. 12 of the first embodiment, the screen changesto a screen for receiving user setting information. That is, the carnavigation system 700 executes the operation at step S10 in FIG. 32.Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 35, the car navigation system 700receives an input of a destination from the user. In this example, thedestination is “Kamakura”. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 36, the carnavigation system 700 receives an input of return route settinginformation. The information received in FIGS. 34 to 36 may betransmitted to the server 400 via the smartphone 200 or directly to theserver 400.

In response, the server 400 searches for a route (steps S11 to S17 inFIG. 32), and the result may be transmitted to the car navigation system700 via the smartphone 200. As illustrated in FIG. 37, the displaysection 710 of the car navigation system 700 may display the receivedroute on the map. FIG. 37 shows an exemplary case of:

-   -   Outward route        -   Departure=Matsudo (home), Departure time=undetermined        -   Destination=Kamakura, Arrival time=10:30    -   Return route        -   Departure=Kamakura, Departure time=18:00        -   Destination=Matsudo (home), Arrival time=undetermined            The sign “Charge reservation” is highlighted, and the server            400 temporarily reserves any of the power stations on the            recommended route (step S18 in FIG. 32). The result is shown            in FIG. 38.

As illustrated in this drawing, the server 400 marks multiple powerstations located in the vicinity of the recommended route, for examplewith stars. In the example of FIG. 38, larger stars indicate higherlevels of recommendation. In FIG. 38, the first recommendation is in thearea of Shinagawa in the center of Tokyo, the second recommendation isin the area of Toda in Saitama, and the third recommendation is in thearea of Machida in Tokyo. At this point, the server 400 temporarilyreserves the first recommended power station (step S18).

Next, the user selects the first recommended power station (the user maytouch the display area of the first recommended power station when thedisplay section 710 that is a touch panel displays a screen as shown inFIG. 38). In response, as illustrated in FIG. 39, the display section710 of the car navigation system 700 displays detailed information ofthe first recommended power station (Station A). This display operationmay be realized by receiving the power station information 535 andreservation information 536 from the server 400 or 500. Currently, theserver 400 has made a temporary reservation for 8:50. Other availabletime slots are displayed. In accordance with the user's selection, theserver 400 finalizes the reservation of the first recommended powerstation (step S22 in FIG. 32).

Thereafter, FIG. 40 shows the final screen. As illustrated in thisdrawing, upon the completion of the reservation of the power station,the server 400 computes, so as to be on time for the reservation of thispower station, the departure time (7:20 in the example of FIG. 40) ofthe outward route from the departure place (home) and the arrival time(21:10 in the example of FIG. 40) of the return route to the destination(home) based on the expected traffic condition and the like. The server400 displays the result as a fixed route on the display section 710 ofthe car navigation system 700 (step S70 in FIG. 32). The car navigationsystem 700 starts the route navigation in accordance with the fixedroute.

EXAMPLE 2

Next, the second example is explained with reference to FIGS. 41 to 50.As explained in the second embodiment, the second example relates to theoperations when it is expected that the arrival at the originaltemporarily-reserved power station will not be on time for thereservation, and when the user rejects the recommended power station.Thus, the second example will be explained with reference to FIG. 18 inaddition to FIGS. 41 to 50. FIGS. 41 to 50 show a vertically orienteddisplay on the left, which schematically illustrates the display screenof the display section 210 of the smartphone 200, and a horizontallyoriented display on the right, which schematically illustrates thedisplay screen of the display section 710 of the car navigation system700.

In this example, the display section 210 of the smartphone 200 displayspower station-related information, together with the entire recommendedroute. On the other hand, the display section 710 of the car navigationsystem 700 mainly provides navigation along the route of the currentjourney, and receives an input of a selected reservation of a powerstation from the user.

FIG. 41 shows the current journey in the area of Kawasaki heading toKamakura as a destination. At this moment, a power station (Station B)that is closer to Kamakura than Kawasaki is reserved for 16:55.According to the traffic information 335 received from the server 300,however, congestion has occurred between the current location andStation B, and the server 400 determines that the user (electric vehicle100) would not arrive at Station B by 16:55 (yes at step S92 in FIG.18). Then, the server 400 sends a command to cancel the reservation ofStation B to the server 500 (step S93 in FIG. 18). Then, the server 400re-searches for the optimal power station by taking the congestion intoconsideration (steps S11 to S17 in FIG. 18). The exemplary display ofthe result is shown in FIG. 42.

As illustrated in this drawing, the server 400 suggests a power station(Station A) in the vicinity of Kawasaki as the first recommendation, andmakes a temporary reservation for Station A at 16:40 (step S18 in FIG.18). This information is also displayed on the display section 710 ofthe car navigation system 700, and the display section 710 displays ascreen for prompting the user to input whether or not the reservationshould be finalized.

If the user does not wish to use the above temporary reservation, theuser may select the icon “Show more” displayed on the display section710 as illustrated in FIG. 43. In response, the display screen of thedisplay section 710 changes to the one in FIG. 44, displaying thedetails of different power stations. That is, the server 400 transmitsinformation regarding multiple recommended routes to the car navigationsystem 700 via the smartphone 200, and the car navigation system 700displays information of a recommended power station on the displaysection 710 based on the received information. In the example of FIG.44, Station A, Station B, and Station C are displayed on the displaysection 710 as the first to third recommendations. Furthermore, inaccordance with the user's request, the display section 710 displaysavailable time slots for the first recommended Station A. Thisinformation can be obtained from the power station information 535 andreservation information 536 transmitted from the server 400. If the userselects the time slot of 18:50 for Station A, the display screen of thedisplay section 710 is switched to the one in FIG. 45. On this screen,if the user selects the icon “YES” (yes at step S20 in FIG. 18), thisinformation is transmitted from the car navigation system 700 to theserver 400 via the smartphone 200. The server 400 therefore sends acommand to the server 500 to finalize the reservation for Station A at18:50 (step S22 in FIG. 18). FIG. 46 shows a navigation screenthereafter. In the display section 210 of the smartphone 200, Station A,the reservation for which has been finalized, is emphasized.

FIG. 47 shows the screen of FIG. 44, on which the user has selectedStation C. Since Station C is located away from the current recommendedroute, the route that will be changed to pass Station C is displayed bydashed lines, as indicated on the display section 210 of the smartphone200 in FIG. 47. This route is acquired from the operation at step S11 ofFIG. 18. When the reservation of Station C is finalized in FIG. 48, thedisplay section 210 of the smartphone 200 is changed to the display ofFIG. 49, where the route going through Station C is emphasized.Thereafter, the car navigation system 700 conducts the navigationfollowing this route.

FIG. 50 shows a display screen for a case in which it is found duringtraveling that the remaining charge of the battery 110 has fallen belowa predetermined value. As described above, the server 400 or smartphone200 monitors the remaining charge of the battery 110 in regularintervals or in real time (step S91 in FIG. 18). As a result of this, ifthe remaining battery charge decreases, the server 400 displays a screenrecommending a temporary reservation of the power station on the displaysection 710 of the car navigation system 700, in accordance with thedegree of urgency. In the example of FIG. 50, the “degree of urgency” isdisplayed together with the suggestion of a temporary reservation ofStation A instead of Station B. Urgency 1 indicates the highest urgency,at which the electric vehicle 100 is about to fall into an inoperablecondition. Urgency 5 indicates the lowest urgency, at which charging isnot needed for the moment.

5.3 Effects of Present Embodiment

According to the present embodiment, the car navigation system 700implements part of the function of the smartphone 200.

6. Sixth Embodiment

An information processing device, information processing method, andinformation processing program according to the sixth embodiment are nowexplained. The present embodiment relates to the car navigation system700 of the fifth embodiment implementing the functions of the smartphone200. The following explanation will use two examples and focus only onthe points that differ from the first to fifth embodiments.

6.1 Example 1

The first example is explained. FIG. 51 is a block diagram of thereservation system 1 according to this example, and FIG. 52 is a blockdiagram of the car navigation system 700.

As illustrated in this drawing, the smartphone 200 of FIG. 30 explainedin the fifth embodiment is omitted from the reservation system 1 of thisexample, and the functions of the smartphone 200 are implemented by thecar navigation system 700. The car navigation system 700 thereforereceives an input of the user setting information 436 from the userinput section 720, and transmits it to the server 400. The communicationsection 740 receives the recommended route information from the server400, and displays it on the display section 710.

FIG. 53 is a flowchart of the operations of the reservation system 1according to the present embodiment, which corresponds to FIG. 32 of thefifth embodiment and FIG. 8 of the first embodiment. In this example, asillustrated in this drawing, the operations executed at steps S10, S19,S20, and S23 in the first embodiment are executed by the car navigationsystem 700. Other operations are executed in the same manner asexplained in the first and fifth embodiments.

6.2 Example 2

The second example is explained. FIG. 54 is a block diagram of thereservation system 1 according to this example, and FIG. 55 is a blockdiagram of the car navigation system 700.

As illustrated in these drawings, the server 400 in FIG. 51 explained inthe first example is omitted from the reservation system 1 in thisexample, and the functions of the server 400 are implemented by the carnavigation system 700. This example can also be considered as thestructure of FIG. 26 explained in the fourth embodiment, in which thesmartphone 200 is replaced with the car navigation system 700. Thus, inthe same manner as the smartphone 200 of FIG. 27, the car navigationsystem 700 of FIG. 55 may store various kinds of data and the routefinding program 435, which are stored in the RAM 433 of the server 400as explained with reference to FIG. 6A, in the RAM 733 in the structureof FIG. 31. In this manner, the car navigation system 700 realizes thefunction of the server 400. Specifically, the car navigation system 700executes the operations executed by the server 400 in the fourthembodiment, including:

-   -   Acquiring traffic information from the server 300    -   Acquiring power station information, reservation information,        and reservation completion information from the server 500    -   Reserving a power station    -   Acquiring remaining battery charge information from the electric        vehicle 100    -   Computing recommended route

FIG. 6B explained in the first embodiment provides a functional blockdiagram of the processor 731 (or entire controller 730) of the carnavigation system 700 when implementing the route finding program 435.That is, when implementing the program 435, the processor 731 functionsas the reception section 450, first search section 451, second searchsection 452, first determination section 453, reservation section 454,and second determination section 455.

In this example, the program 435 and map information 438 may bedownloaded from the server 300 or 500, or any other server (e.g., theserver of the business entity that runs the reservation system of thepresent embodiment) to the car navigation system 700 via wirelesscommunication line or wired communication line. Alternatively, theprogram 435 may be pre-stored in the RAM 733 at the time of sale of thecar navigation system 700 to the user. The program may be installed inthe RAM 733 of the car navigation system 700 by an information memorymedium such as a CD-ROM or DVD.

FIG. 56 is a flowchart of the operations of the reservation system 1according to the present embodiment, which corresponds to FIG. 32 of thefifth embodiment and FIG. 28 of the fourth embodiment. In this example,as illustrated in the drawing, the operations at steps S10 to S12 andsteps S14 to S23 of the first embodiment are executed by the carnavigation system 700. The rest of the operations are the same as thefirst and fourth embodiments. In other words, all the operations of thesmartphone 200 in FIG. 28 are executed by the car navigation system 700.

6.3 Effects of Present Embodiment

As discussed above, the reservation system 1 can be realized without asmartphone, by the car navigation system 700 configured to communicatewith the server 400 or the servers 300 and 500. The present embodimentcomes in handy especially when accessing the reservation system 1 whenriding the electric vehicle 100.

In the present embodiment, the operations of the first embodiment areexecuted mainly by the car navigation system 700. The car navigationsystem 700, however, may be configured to execute the operationsexplained in the second embodiment.

The car navigation system 700 may be configured to execute theoperations explained in the third embodiment.

If this is the case, the RAM 733 of the car navigation system 700further stores a scheduling program. When this scheduling program isimplemented, the processor 731 (or the entire controller 730) of the carnavigation system 700 realizes the functions illustrated in FIG. 19A.The diagrams of FIGS. 20 to 25 are displayed on the display section 710of the car navigation system 700. The scheduling program may bedownloaded from any server, or may be stored in the RAM 733 at the timeof sale to the user.

7. Modification Examples

As described above, the information processing device according to thepresent embodiments is to make a reservation for a power station atwhich the battery of an electric vehicle is charged. The informationprocessing device (200, 400, or 700) includes a reception section (450in FIG. 6B) configured to receive first information (437 in FIG. 6A)indicating the remaining battery charge of the electric vehicle, secondinformation (436 in FIG. 6A) relating to a destination, and thirdinformation (traffic information 335 in FIG. 6A) relating to a route tothe destination; a first search section (451 in FIG. 6B) configured tosearch for a recommended route to the destination based at least on thesecond information (user setting information 436 in FIG. 6A) and thirdinformation (traffic information 335 in FIG. 6A); a second searchsection (452 in FIG. 6B) configured to search for a power station on theway to the destination; a first determination section (453 in FIG. 6B)configured to determine whether the battery will need to be chargedbefore reaching the destination, based on the first information (437 inFIG. 6A) and the found recommended route; and a reservation section (454in FIG. 6B) configured to, when the first determination sectiondetermines that the battery will need to be charged (S16 in FIG. 8),make a reservation for any of the power stations found by the secondsearch section, without waiting for a command from the user (S18 in FIG.8).

With such a structure, the information processing device makes asuitable reservation for a power station in accordance with theremaining battery charge and the like. Thus, a reservation of a powerstation can be effectively made. Furthermore, the device offers a senseof security to the user who is riding the electric vehicle withouthaving to pay attention to the remaining battery charge.

The above embodiments are discussed merely as examples, and can bemodified in various manners. FIG. 57 shows an example of the informationstored in power stations 800. As illustrated in this drawing, the powerstations 800 (station 1 and station 2) store the following information:

-   -   ID: Identification number of power station    -   Number of vehicles waiting: Number of currently waiting vehicles    -   Fee: Charging price    -   Location: Coordinates of location of power station    -   Reservation list: Current reservation state

The information processing device (smartphone 200, server 400, or carnavigation system 700) receives the above information from the powerstations 800 located in the vicinity of the currently set route, as thepower station information 535 and reservation information 536. Thedevice determines a recommended power station 800, based on the presentcondition and expected condition (such as congestion), and requests areservation for the determined power station 800 based on the usersetting information 436 (Station 1 in the example of FIG. 57). If theuser wishes to know a nearby power station 800 during the journey, apower station search button may be pressed on the smartphone 200 or carnavigation system 700. Then, the smartphone 200 or the communicationsection 740 of the car navigation system 700 receives a beacon from thepower stations 800, and locates two power stations (Station 1 andStation 2) in the example of FIG. 57. The smartphone 200 or thecommunication section 740 therefore requests the power stationinformation 535 and reservation information 536 from these stations.When there are multiple power stations, the information processingdevice identifies the power stations from the ID assigned to eachstation.

FIG. 58 is a block diagram of the electric vehicle 100 and power station800, particularly showing the information stored therein. The electricvehicle 100 illustrated in

FIG. 58 includes the smartphone 200 owned by the user who is riding theelectric vehicle, and the car navigation system 700 installed in theelectric vehicle.

First, as illustrated in this drawing, the power station 800 holds theinformation (location, number of vehicles waiting, fee, ID, reservationtime and reservation state, etc.) as explained with reference to FIG.57. The information may be transmitted to the electric vehicle 100 bythe communication function of the power station 800. The power station800 may be provided with the user input receiving function and a displaysection, in the same manner as the smartphone 200. With these functions,the power station 800 may receive the next charging reservation from theuser. In other words, the charging reservation may be made not only fromthe smartphone (or car navigation system), but also from the powerstation 800.

The electric vehicle 100 is explained next. As illustrated in thisdrawing, the electric vehicle 100 acquires from sensors the locationinformation of the vehicle, the destination location, the current time,and information relating to the remaining battery charge. The electricvehicle 100 further acquires the latest map data from the server. Inaddition, the electric vehicle 100 acquires, from the power station,information relating to the location, number of waiting vehicles, fee,ID, reservation time and reservation state. The computation section(processor) of the electric vehicle 100 computes from such informationthe distance between the current location and the power station and thetime required, and further computes the distance from the power stationto the destination and the time required. Accordingly, the power stationarrival time, available time slots, remaining battery charge whenreturning home, and estimated time of return are found. In addition tothese, the number of vehicles waiting, fee and ID are displayed on thedisplay section. The electric vehicle 100 temporarily reserves any ofthe recommended power stations.

In the above embodiments, several examples of reserving a power stationhave been discussed. Various other usages may be possible. Such usagesare explained with reference to FIGS. 59 to 66. In FIGS. 59 to 66,schematic diagrams of exemplary display screens of the smartphone 200 orcar navigation system 700 are presented. In FIG. 59, a case ofdesignating home as the destination is presented, where a route from thearea of Shimbashi to home in Kiba is emphasized. When the user selectsthe display of “nearby power station” in the lower left corner of thisscreen, power stations A and B located in the vicinity of the route forhome are displayed as search results, as illustrated in FIG. 60. Theroute to the power station A is indicated by a solid line, while theroute to the power station B is indicated by a dashed line. Furthermore,the information processing device computes the station arrival time,estimated time of return, and remaining battery charge when returninghome, and displays them on the display section for each case ofselecting the power station A and the power station B. The number ofvehicles waiting, the earliest possible charge start time, and availabletime slots received from each of the power stations A and B are alsodisplayed on the display section.

If the user's charge policy is to place a higher priority on the time ofreturn even if the power station is farther away from the returningroute, the information processing device makes a temporary or finalizedreservation for the first recommended power station A (18:40), asillustrated in FIG. 61.

FIG. 62 shows a case of the user's charge policy that is to place ahigher priority on the remaining battery charge at the time of return.As illustrated in this drawing, the remaining battery charge level is95% when selecting the power station A, and 98% when selecting the powerstation B. The information processing device therefore makes a temporaryor finalized reservation for the first recommended power station B(19:40).

FIG. 63 shows a case of the user's charge policy that is to place ahigher priority on the remaining battery charge at the time of return,and also not to make a charging reservation in the earliest time slot,for example, because there is an errand to finish during the waitingtime. As illustrated in this drawing, the information processing devicemakes a temporary or finalized reservation for the second recommendedpower station B (20:10). In the case of the charging policy in FIG. 63,it is preferable that the user be allowed to freely set the waitingtime. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 64, other available charging timeslots than the first to third recommendations can be displayed if theicon “Show more” is selected.

FIG. 65 shows a case in which the user makes a stopover for a meal. Asillustrated in this drawing, the icon “stopover” on the lower left sideof the screen may be selected to display recommended restaurants nearthe route. If the user selects any of these, the electric vehicle 100cancels the reservations up to this point, and automatically changes areservation to a later time. For example, when the power station B isoriginally reserved for 19:40 in FIG. 62, the electric vehicle 100cancels this reservation, and re-enters a reservation for the powerstation B at 20:10, as illustrated in FIG. 65. In accordance with thisreservation change, the power station arrival time and expected time ofreturn may be re-computed. The information of restaurants may bedownloaded from a server to the information processing device via thenetwork 600 by wireless communication.

FIG. 66 shows a case in which the power station A is originally reservedat 18:50 as illustrated in FIG. 61, but the route to the power station Ais closed due to an accident or the like. If this is the case, theelectric vehicle 100 cancels the reservation of the power station A, andmakes a temporary or finalized reservation for the currently mostrecommended power station. In the example of FIG. 66, the electricvehicle 100 makes a temporary or finalized reservation for the powerstation B at 19:40.

In the second embodiment, an exemplary case of being unable to arrive atthe power station by the originally reserved time is given. The secondembodiment may be applied to a case of arriving at the power stationearlier than the originally reserved time. That is, when the informationprocessing device (second determination section) determines that,contrary to the traffic information and expected congestion, the vehicleis going to arrive at the power station at a time earlier than expected,the reservation section may cancel the current reservation, and make atemporary or finalized reservation for the time slot earlier than theoriginal reservation. If this is the case, the information processingdevice may display a message on the display, such as “Changereservation?” and prompt the user to approve.

Furthermore, with the current reservation, the user may need to wait atthe power station for some time. In such a case, if someone cancels atime slot that is more suitable for the user, the information processingdevice receives this information as reservation information from theserver 500, and automatically moves the current reservation up to thecanceled and now available time slot. In this case, the movedreservation may be made as a temporary reservation, and a request may besent to the user for approval of the finalization.

Furthermore, the information processing device may be configured toreceive an interrupt reservation request from the user. For example, ifthe user wishes to make a reservation for a time slot that has alreadybeen reserved by another user, the information processing devicereceives an interrupt request. The information processing device maynotify the user who has made the reservation for this time slot, of aninterrupt request being issued, as part of the reservation information.If the user accepts this interrupt request, the information processingdevice transmits this information to the server 500 to instruct thechange of the reservation. If this is the case, the user who gives wayto another user for the reservation may be given a discount for the nextelectric charging rate, or an additional fee may be applied to theinterrupting user.

As discussed above, the information processing device automaticallyreserves the presumably most suitable power station at every occasion,in accordance with the user's preference. This will save the user fromthe inconvenience of reserving a power station, and even if anunexpected situation arises, the user does not need to be concernedabout the reservation of a power station. This significantly improvesthe usability of the electric vehicle.

Various functions explained in the above embodiments may be implementedby hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. If thefunctions are implemented by software, such functions may be stored asone or more commands or codes (programs) in a computer-readable memorymedium, or transmitted by the memory medium. The memory medium is notlimited to any particular type as long as it is accessible from acomputer or processor. Examples of the memory media include a RAM, ROM,EEPROM (Trademark) (including a USB memory and memory card), opticaldisk such as CD-ROM, and magnetic disk such as hard disk. The programsmay be transmitted by wireless or wired electric communication line. Thesame applies to various types of data.

The embodiments of the present invention have been explained. These arepresented merely as examples and are not intended to restrict the scopeof the invention. These embodiments may be realized in various otherforms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be madewithout departing from the gist of the invention. Such embodiments andmodifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, andare included in the scope of the invention described in the claims andits equivalence.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing device which makes areservation of a power station to charge a battery of an electricvehicle, the device comprising: a reception section configured toreceive first information indicating a remaining battery charge of theelectric vehicle, second information indicating a destination, and thirdinformation indicating a route to the destination; a first searchsection configured to search for a recommended route to the destination,based at least on the second information and the third information; asecond search section configured to search for a power station locatedon a way to the destination; a first determination section configured todetermine whether or not the battery needs to be charged before arrivingat the destination, based on the first information and the recommendedroute that has been found; and a reservation section configured to, whenthe first determination section determines that the battery needs to becharged, reserve a power station found by the second search section,without waiting for a command from a user.
 2. The device according toclaim 1, further comprising a second determination section configured todetermine whether or not an arrival at the power station will be on timeas reserved, based on the third information, wherein, when the seconddetermination section determines that the arrival at the power stationwill not be on time as reserved, the reservation section cancels thereservation and makes another reservation for a power station which isnext recommended, without waiting for a command from the user.
 3. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein the third information is currenttraffic information and/or expected traffic information relating to aplurality of routes to the destination.
 4. The device according to claim1, wherein the reservation made by the reservation section withoutwaiting for a command from the user is a temporary reservation, andafter making the temporary reservation, the reservation section switchesthe temporary reservation to a finalized reservation when receiving anapproval from the user.
 5. An information processing device which makesa reservation of a power station to charge a battery of an electricvehicle, the device comprising: an entry section configured to enterfirst information indicating a first ride scheduled duration of a firstride reservation for the electric vehicle, and second informationindicating a remaining battery charge at a time of riding; a firstdetermination section configured to determine whether or not the batteryneeds to be charged within the first ride scheduled duration, based onthe second information; and a reservation section configured to make areservation of a power station when the first determination sectiondetermines that the battery needs to be charged, without waiting for acommand from a user.
 6. The device according to claim 5, wherein theentry section enters third information indicating a destination of thefirst ride reservation, the information processing device furthercomprising: a first search section configured to search for arecommended route to the destination; and a second search sectionconfigured to search for the power station located on a way to thedestination, and wherein, when the first determination sectiondetermines that the battery needs to be charged when traveling along therecommended route, the reservation section reserves the power stationfound by the second search section, without waiting for a command fromthe user.
 7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the entry sectionenters a second ride reservation for a time earlier than the first ridereservation, and when the first determination section determines thatthe battery needs to be charged within a second ride scheduled durationof the second ride reservation and that the battery does not need to becharged within the first ride scheduled duration, the reservationsection cancels the reservation of the power station for the first ridereservation.
 8. The device according to claim 5, wherein the reservationmade by the reservation section without waiting for a command from theuser is a temporary reservation, and after making the temporaryreservation, the reservation section switches the temporary reservationto a finalized reservation when receiving an approval from the user. 9.An information processing device which makes a reservation of a powerstation to charge a battery of an electric vehicle, the devicecomprising: a control section configured to search for a route to adestination and to make a reservation for a power station located on theroute; and a display section configured to display the route, whereinthe display section is further configured: to display a plurality ofpower stations on the found route to the destination as candidate powerstations, and a first recommended power station of the power stations;to display a temporary reservation having been made for the firstrecommended power station, and a prompt for an approval of switching thetemporary reservation to a finalized reservation; and to display, whenreceiving the approval, the route with the first recommended powerstation for which the temporary reservation has been switched to afinalized reservation.
 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein whenthe control section determines that the electric vehicle will not arriveat the first recommended power station as reserved, and the displaysection displays a temporary reservation having been made for a secondrecommended power station different from the first recommended powerstation, and a prompt for an approval of switching the temporaryreservation to a finalized reservation.
 11. The device according toclaim 9, wherein the display section is further configured to display asecond recommended power station that is different from the firstrecommended power station, and when receiving a denial of the firstrecommended power station and selection of the second recommended powerstation, the display section displays a route to the destination via thesecond recommended power station.
 12. The device according to claims 9,wherein the display section is further configured to display the firstrecommended power station and an available time slot for the firstrecommended power station.
 13. An information processing method to makea reservation of power stations charging a battery of an electricvehicle, the method comprising: receiving first information indicating aremaining battery charge of the electric vehicle, second informationindicating a destination, and third information indicating a route tothe destination; searching for a recommended route to the destination,based at least on the second information and the third information;searching for a power station located on a way to the destination;determining whether or not the battery needs to be charged beforearriving at the destination, based on the first information and therecommended route; and reserving the power station when it is determinedthat the battery needs to be charged, without waiting for a command froma user.
 14. An information processing program product to make areservation of a power station charging a battery of an electricvehicle, the program product, when being executed by a processor,causing the processor to: receive first information indicating aremaining battery charge of the electric vehicle, second informationindicating a destination, and third information indicating a route tothe destination; search for a recommended route to the destination,based at least on the second information and the third information;search for a power station located on a way to the destination;determine whether or not the battery needs to be charged before arrivingat the destination, based on the first information and the recommendedroute; and when it is determined that the battery needs to be charged,reserve the power station, without waiting for a command from a user.